The Broken Place

Once trust has been destroyed ~
Can it be ~ as Ernest Hemingway
Has famously said ~ “strong
At the broken place” ~ or will
It remain shattered ~ and too
Fragile to believe in any more ~

We were happy ~ or so I
Thought ~ the perfect couple ~
One for the ages and the
Envy of our friends ~ until
I was blindsided by your
Sudden announcement that ~

You needed space ~ and time ~
To be yourself ~ to be by
Yourself ~ and that you were
Leaving me and our child to
Flounder ~ in an unaccustomed
And unwanted abandonment ~

You had your plans all made ~
A new apartment to be paid for ~
With money you had hidden
From me and lied to me about ~
Which makes me wonder if
I ever even knew you at all ~

And what can I tell our newly
Teenaged daughter ~ who needs
Her father as she never has
Before ~ how can I convince
Her you still love her ~ and that
Not all men will act this way ~

I am bewildered and lost ~ and
So far beyond feeling hurt
I would need a new word to
Describe it ~ but for our daughter ~
An innocent victim ~ I must be the
Strong place that was broken ~

The Greening

A lovely Spring
Foams onto the horizon
Where it shimmers
For a brief few weeks
Before disappearing
As quickly as it came

It leaves in its place
An embarrassment almost
Of greenery and a palette
Full of summer blooms
So achingly beautiful that
I can hardly bear it

I have wondered often if
A person can die of
Too much joy ~ simply
Overload and expire of
Ecstasy at the beauty and
The mystery of it all

I give my arm a gentle pinch
Only to find that I’m still here
Relief and disappointment
Mingle but here I am where I
Should be and I give myself to
The miracle of this Spring day